Switch from duncans to dimarzios?

[mchn13]

Anyone change after years of playing one brand or the other? Recently got a titan in my charvel and it just killed in that guitar, so i put an evo in my custom v, and im loving them for the drop b broots im playing. Been playing duncan and some bkps for years, but these are reall doing it for me.
Just curious if anyones tastes have changed after years like this. ?

 

[Rex Rocker]

I used to be an EMG guy, but then I got a Duncan Distortion because one of my guitars at that time was really dull, and I had read that the Distortion was really bright.

I tried it, and it immediately became one of my favorite pickups. It made me swap all my EMG's out.

Nowadays I'm running mostly Duncans, but I also have a DiMarzio Dominion in my baritone. The Dominion is nice, especially in that guitar. I also really like the 36th Anniversary in the neck a lot more than the Duncan Jazz or '59.

There are no rules, though. I like some Duncans, and I like some DiMarzios, but I think I like both Duncans and DiMarzios better than EMG's these days, which I never would've thought a few years ago.

 

[MetalHeadMike]

I switch around between Dimarzio (Seem to do the least for me of the three ) , Duncan, and BKP, and usually seem to get that initial "wow" whenever I make the change. I always seem to wind up back on a BKP of one flavor or another. Love the DD though; just a great pup for all things brutal. New guitar I have coming has a Nailbomb in it and I'm stoked to try that, but I'm gonna grab a C-pig for sure and thrash on that for a while. I want to try a Dimarzio Super3.

Have you tried a Dimarzio Dominion?

 

[napalmdeath]

I used to really hate EMG's, but they seem to work well in my Schecter bolt-on. It's weird, I don't think I'd change a thing about that guitar, but I still prefer passives!

 

[Steinmetzify]

BKPs and EMGs for years; switched out the EMGs for Fishman Moderns and the BKPs for Black Winters.

 

[mchn13]

I switch around between Dimarzio (Seem to do the least for me of the three ) , Duncan, and BKP, and usually seem to get that initial "wow" whenever I make the change. I always seem to wind up back on a BKP of one flavor or another. Love the DD though; just a great pup for all things brutal. New guitar I have coming has a Nailbomb in it and I'm stoked to try that, but I'm gonna grab a C-pig for sure and thrash on that for a while. I want to try a Dimarzio Super3.

Have you tried a Dimarzio Dominion?

I haven't tried the dominion. was always a fan of the custom sh5, and the jb for rock stuff. later on the nazgul in its six string version{the seven string sucked hard}. the bkp painkiller and the brute force were better for the heaviest stuff though. have to say these two are really mean and tight, but smoother, and like them just as much. I'm using less gain for the brutal stuff, so maybe theyre more compressed?
I just never thought of the evo as metal pickup I guess, but its killer, and it and the titan are really similar.

 

[midnightlaundry]

My first pup was an SD, and then I went EMG for no other reason than Metallica used them. Now I'm back on SD's. Although I do miss how quiet and behaved EMG's are, but passives are simply more open and dynamic I have to admit.

 

[Rex Rocker]

I switch around between Dimarzio (Seem to do the least for me of the three ) , Duncan, and BKP, and usually seem to get that initial "wow" whenever I make the change. I always seem to wind up back on a BKP of one flavor or another. Love the DD though; just a great pup for all things brutal. New guitar I have coming has a Nailbomb in it and I'm stoked to try that, but I'm gonna grab a C-pig for sure and thrash on that for a while. I want to try a Dimarzio Super3.

Have you tried a Dimarzio Dominion?

I haven't tried the dominion. was always a fan of the custom sh5, and the jb for rock stuff. later on the nazgul in its six string version{the seven string sucked hard}. the bkp painkiller and the brute force were better for the heaviest stuff though. have to say these two are really mean and tight, but smoother, and like them just as much. I'm using less gain for the brutal stuff, so maybe theyre more compressed?
I just never thought of the evo as metal pickup I guess, but its killer, and it and the titan are really similar.

The Dominion is great. To me, it's kinda sorta like an EMG 81 and a Duncan Distortion had a baby, except that baby has very DiMarzio-like vocal mids. There's also a hint of JB in the mix, IMO (the output level is practically identical to a JB, IME). It's probably closer to a Breed than it is to a Duncan Distortion, a JB, or an EMG 81, but I have never really tried a Breed to tell for sure.

 

[MetalHeadMike]

I switch around between Dimarzio (Seem to do the least for me of the three ) , Duncan, and BKP, and usually seem to get that initial "wow" whenever I make the change. I always seem to wind up back on a BKP of one flavor or another. Love the DD though; just a great pup for all things brutal. New guitar I have coming has a Nailbomb in it and I'm stoked to try that, but I'm gonna grab a C-pig for sure and thrash on that for a while. I want to try a Dimarzio Super3.

Have you tried a Dimarzio Dominion?

I haven't tried the dominion. was always a fan of the custom sh5, and the jb for rock stuff. later on the nazgul in its six string version{the seven string sucked hard}. the bkp painkiller and the brute force were better for the heaviest stuff though. have to say these two are really mean and tight, but smoother, and like them just as much. I'm using less gain for the brutal stuff, so maybe theyre more compressed?
I just never thought of the evo as metal pickup I guess, but its killer, and it and the titan are really similar.

The Dominion is great. To me, it's kinda sorta like an EMG 81 and a Duncan Distortion had a baby, except that baby has very DiMarzio-like vocal mids. There's also a hint of JB in the mix, IMO (the output level is practically identical to a JB, IME). It's probably closer to a Breed than it is to a Duncan Distortion, a JB, or an EMG 81, but I have never really tried a Breed to tell for sure.

It is a pretty cool pup. I just found for me it lacked output, and I just had to really really dig hard to get what I was after. May have just not been a good fit with the particular amps I was playing through at the time, or the guitar it was in I still have the set laying around and will have to re-visit the bridge. I remember that pup just soaking up every ounce of gain you could throw at it and remaining articulate and focused.

 

[Rex Rocker]

Yeah, it's not super hot. It's also kinda dry. I guess that's what they were aiming for. It is pretty cool if you find the right guitar/amp combination for it. It's particularly good in my baritone for maintining clarity with the low tuning. Higher up, it's pretty Lamb of God-sounding. Kinda dry and tight (almost to the point of thin, TBH).

 

[MetalHeadMike]

Yeah, it's not super hot. It's also kinda dry. I guess that's what they were aiming for. It is pretty cool if you find the right guitar/amp combination for it. It's particularly good in my baritone for maintining clarity with the low tuning. Higher up, it's pretty Lamb of God-sounding. Kinda dry and tight (almost to the point of thin, TBH).

Yep, couldn't have described it better

 

[Mailman1971]

Duncan Jb user for years.
Then switched to EMG For over 10 years.
Then back to the Jb.
Discovered the Dimarzio X2N.
Game over. That pickup is perfect for me.
Really aggressive and tight.
In 3 out of 5 guitars I own.

 

[Shask]

Yeah, I tend to switch every 5-7 years or so. In my younger years I loved EMG and hated Duncan. Then I went to Dimarzio for several years.... went back to EMG for another 5-7 years. Then I got on Duncan for the last 10 years or so. I own almost every one, and hated the last few Dimarzio I had. Now I have almost every Duncan they make, Fishman Moderns, and no EMGs, lol.

Now I am thinking about trying Dimarzio again.... specifically, the D-Sonic.

 

[PBGas]

I have always been a big Dimarzio fan and have them in those guitars that I needed to change out the pickups in.

 

[SFW]

I started out with DiMarzios. I was a huge Vai fan when I first got into playing in 1988. I got my first JB in 1997 and haven't care much for DiMarzios since. They have a certain cocked wah vibe that works great for soloing, but I don't care for it when playing rhythm. These days I alternate between Duncans, BareKnuckle and Suhr depending on what I want to get out of the guitar.

 

[romanianreaper]

My first pickup swap was back in high school when my Dad put a Seymour Duncan pickup into my guitar. I can't even remember what it was but I loved it. Over the years I had the JB in several guitars and used to gig with Duncan Distortions in an SG which sounded awesome! That pickup just kills. I've had Dimarzios a few times in the past like a Tone Zone (didn't like) and a Super Distortion. To my ears, Dimarzios have more of a crisp tone and a different type of low end. Hard to explain. I'm sure I'd like some though.

These days I have all kinds of crap in my guitars. LOL! I have a Seymour Duncan RTM in my DeMartini Charvel but then have a 2nd Degree Blackbelt in one Les Paul, stock pickup in my 89' Les Paul, and a Lollar pickup in my custom "SG" guitar. Like others have mentioned, like the EMGs but limited.

 

[D-Rock]

Don't be brand loyal. That's closed-mindedness. Be guitar loyal. Give each one what it wants and what makes it better.

 

[NinjaRaf]

I used Duncans for a long time, then switched to Dimarzio. Something in them feels more saturated to me, and I like that. I've bounced around a lot, though...EMGs, Duncans, Dimarzios, BKPs, and MCPs. Ultimately found that I really do not like EMGs, Duncans can be hit or miss for me depending on the guitar and pup combination...I find them to have a drier feel than Dimarzios, which I tend to prefer over Duncans. Tried a few BKPs, and they are really the only brand that I can consistently say that I do not like. Moved to Fishmans for a couple of years, and they were great, but I've been slowly converting all of my guitars over to MCP Nukes.

I switch around between Dimarzio (Seem to do the least for me of the three ) , Duncan, and BKP, and usually seem to get that initial "wow" whenever I make the change. I always seem to wind up back on a BKP of one flavor or another. Love the DD though; just a great pup for all things brutal. New guitar I have coming has a Nailbomb in it and I'm stoked to try that, but I'm gonna grab a C-pig for sure and thrash on that for a while. I want to try a Dimarzio Super3.

Have you tried a Dimarzio Dominion?

I haven't tried the dominion. was always a fan of the custom sh5, and the jb for rock stuff. later on the nazgul in its six string version{the seven string sucked hard}. the bkp painkiller and the brute force were better for the heaviest stuff though. have to say these two are really mean and tight, but smoother, and like them just as much. I'm using less gain for the brutal stuff, so maybe theyre more compressed?
I just never thought of the evo as metal pickup I guess, but its killer, and it and the titan are really similar.

The Dominion is great. To me, it's kinda sorta like an EMG 81 and a Duncan Distortion had a baby, except that baby has very DiMarzio-like vocal mids. There's also a hint of JB in the mix, IMO (the output level is practically identical to a JB, IME). It's probably closer to a Breed than it is to a Duncan Distortion, a JB, or an EMG 81, but I have never really tried a Breed to tell for sure.

I've said since the Dominions came out that they seem like a Breed with a ceramic magnet. One of my favorites, for sure!

 

[Detroit1973]

I have been an EMG User since 1993 or 1994. I have one guitar that i built out of Parts & it has Duncan Distortions in it....But i've only plugged it in twice. I'm a Les Paul Guy & i really want to change 2 of My LP's to Passives but i can't make up my mind at all about which passive pickup maker to use.

 

[guitarbilly74]

I tend to like DiMarzio for strats/superstrats and Duncans for Gibson style guitars but it's not a set rule just the way it worked out for me. Ultimately I'll use whatever fits a particular guitar better.